Hyannis cafe owner giving back

Would you eat vegan chowder? Would you eat this fish-free version of a Cape Cod classic on Tuesday to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital fight cancer?

GWENN FRISS

Would you eat vegan chowder?

Would you eat this fish-free version of a Cape Cod classic on Tuesday to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital fight cancer?

Dennis native Nate Fanara, owner of Green Lotus Cafe in Hyannis, is hoping people will do just that. Fanara has pledged to donate every dollar spent at the cafe that day to honor his father, John P. Fanara, who died three years ago.

"He lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and left me with the motivation to open up Green Lotus Cafe to bring healthy choices to wCape Cod and its wonderful people," Fanara said in a statement. "It is now time to give back."

Chowder is just one of the options at the eatery, which opened this spring at 349 Main St. in the spot formerly occupied by La Petite France Cafe. At Green Lotus, eggs and dairy are not used in anything but the breakfast sandwiches, and all sandwiches can be made vegan with vegan mayo and dairy-free Daiya Cheese.

The cafe's fruit smoothies have a "cream" base that Fanara concocts from cashews and water.

Websites listing vegan alternatives on Cape show more than two dozen restaurants offering some choices, but none are vegan restaurants like Green Lotus, where Fanara's culinary training is in plant-based foods and he makes his own seitan, a substitute for meat.

Fanara is a former Marine and commercial diver who explored veganism for its health benefits, according to the restaurant's website, greenlotuscafe.com. He's hoping people order the sandwiches and soups at Green Lotus on Tuesday, and consider donating to St. Jude's.

In an interview Friday, Fanara said, "I want more people to be aware of why we're here. My father donated a lot of money to St. Jude's even before he got his cancer diagnosis. I can't think of a better place to donate."

Janice Randall Rohlf contributed to this report.

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